Posts about Exploitation

At breathtaking speed, our world is being inundated with ever more sophisticated electronic equipment. Used devices hardly a year or two old, are replaced with increasing frequency, to be cashed in or be thoughtlessly dumped for the next much fancier gadget. Most “outdated” models are added to a recycling bubble already stressed at the seams. Considering that resources are scarce and thus valuable, this sort of rotation system is still unrivaled. Yet, have you ever wondered how – and above all – where, your discarded cell phone, laptop or PC may have ended up eventually? It is estimated that more than half of the electronic waste from, e.g., the United States, is shipped to countries fairly ignorant of environmental issues - and there it is successfully buried in oblivion. Like for instance in China, India or Ghana in West Africa. A young company in Boston, Mass., sets an example of how fruitful sensible recycling can be.

If there were a scale for guests on which to classify their own attitude and demeanour while staying at a hotel, most would probably describe themselves as the tidy, clean, polite, honest, considerate and fidel type – who, there’s evidence, does exist. We consider ourselves the best examples for that righteous species. Yet, others might be alienated by a questionnaire such as the one mentioned. According to their understanding, a hotel guest holds a non-restrictive jester’s licence of international validity. After all: he is paying dearly for the service and is determined to claim his rights.